Bodyguard
by Pangari
Summary: Life has been different since she joined the Turks. Tifa, wanting to know how they operate no matter how boring the mission; is willing to play bodyguard for the one man she tried killing 3 yrs ago. The sudden change of heart didn't go unoticed. R
1. Empty promises & Mission Details

**Bodyguard**

Empty promises & Mission Details

First of all, I would like to thank **Christie Cookie **for allowing me to continue on her **Chapter 3. The pager and the Propostion **from her **Cerulean Cinnamon **fanfiction about Tifa joining the Turks. With that being said, I did not steal her idea, she allowed me to continue on with it. This story takes place after an event in Rufus' office. If you want to know what transpired there, read her **Cerulean Cinnamon. **This story takes place post-AC and also after DoC. It will start out bit angsty...just because Tifa kinda is when something happens to her and also when she thinks about Cloud! It will get better, I promise. =D Since I'm busy, I won't be able to upload chapters very often...I'm sorry! But I will get around to them ASAP! :) If the characters seem OOC, it's how I view them, otherwise, everything should seem to be in place for them.

**Summary:** Life has been different since she joined the Turks. Tifa, wanting to know how they operate no matter how boring the mission, is willing to play bodyguard for the one man she tried killing 3 yrs ago. The sudden change of heart caught Rufus' eye. With his curiousity peaked, he is determined to find out what she's hiding from him. In the end, they both might get more than they bargained for!

**Disclaimer:** I do this for enjoyment and to challenge myself to create better fanfics. So do not sue.

Tifa closed the office door behind her. A small sigh escaped her lips. _What have I truly gotten myself into this time?_

Her fists curled up into taut balls at her sides, shaking in anger. _Cloud…_ Tifa bit her lower lip in a struggle for self control._ I'm tired of crying for something that won't happen! I was chosen over a memory...I don't think he will ever understand how much that hurt since that day, and every day. Even after he was forgiven by Aerith and learned to forgive himself for not protecting her...he left me alone to look after the childern. No money to help and bunch of empty promises for Denzel and Marlene. _A lone crystalline tear licked at her cheeks, Tifa hastily brushed it away with the back of her hand. _I'm with the Turks, I'll be able to earn money to support my family and give them new hopes away from Cloud._ She let out a sardonic chuckle. "How ironic…three years ago I was trying to kill these people, now I am working with them for the benefit of my own family."

The brunette Turk steadily walked towards the elevator and pressed the up button. As she waited for the elevator to arrive, dark wine eyes wandered around the corridor. Now as she thought about it, she didn't really take in her surroundings. The new Shin-Ra building was only fifty stories high and is the only tallest building built in Edge, not that it bothered her any. If anything she was quite relieved. She doesn't have to climb endless flights of stairs to reach the top floor if the power goes out. The giant corridor was filled with elegant lights hanging from the ceiling and the occasional potted plant placed asymmetrically down the hallway to give some life to the desolate area. Tifa shrugged, guessing it was because the interior design was still being worked on.

The sound of a soft ping and sliding doors broke her concentration of studying the room. Tifa entered the elevator and scanned the controls with confusion. "Oh holy hell, which button was it for the Turks floor?" She bit the bottom corner of her lip as she raised an uncertain hand and pressed the forty-eighth button. _I hope to Gaia this will be the right floor_.

A couple minutes later the sleek silver elevator doors slid open. The first thing Tifa noticed was that it was oddly quiet. _I guess this is the wrong floor, unless...__Reno must be planning something. _Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she stepped out in search for directions. As Tifa took that step her suspicions were confirmed, she was brought into a teasing headlock and the offending person ruffled up her chocolate locks.

"Look at this Rude, not even a day and she decides to play bodyguard for the Boss man already. She's growing up so fast!" Reno exclaimed proudly. He grunted shortly after with a well placed punch to his gut. He doubled over, releasing Tifa's captive head. "What in Bahamut's name did you do that for?" the Red-head said, nursing his sore gut. Rude chuckled at his partner's predicament, Reno shot him a heated glare.

"You have some nerve at jumping me out of nowhere and putting me into a headlock! I was just merely defending myself." Tifa huffed.

"Gotta be on top of your game and ya didn't have to hit me THAT hard 'Teef," he moaned. "Anyways, Dot-boy wants you in his office."

"Why? And did you just call our boss dot-boy?"

"Yup, do it all the time and I dunno. Why don't you go ask him yourself, sweet cheeks?"

Reno swore if looks could kill, he'd be a smoldering puddle of goo beneath her venomous glare. "Sticks and stones babe sticks and stones."

Tifa scowled, ignoring his last comment. "Gee, thanks for the help _Reno_."

"Anytime _Rookie_," the Red-haired Turk turned and lightly punched his stoic partner in the arm. "Let's go find 'Laney and see what she's up ta." With that being said, both the Turks took off leaving Tifa alone. She shook her head. _How does Elena put up with these guys everyday? _

Tifa travelled down the small hallway, sneaking past the labyrinth of desks and made it to Tseng's office at the end. She lightly rapped on the door. "Come in," a voice answered. Tifa grasped the cool knob and turned it, as she opened the door, she saw the man buried in paperwork. The brunette stepped in and quietly closed the door behind her. Tifa used the short moment to study the Wutian man before her.

He looked calm and collected with his wits about him. Tseng's fingers swiftly flicked through the pages and deftly signed the blank spots with an elegant twirl from the wrist. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a few rebel strands of black hair hung closely to his young, tanned face. He looked up and met her observing gaze. Dark wine met a dark chocolate brown. Tifa closely observed his eyes, they were cold, piercing but yet they had a flicker of warmth moving behind them.

Tseng stopped shuffling papers around and softly placed his pen beside them. He raised an eyebrow in slight amusement. "Is something the matter, Miss Lockheart?" Being caught off guard, Tifa tried to compose herself as much as possible as she sputtered her response.

"N-no sir, n-nothing wrong at all and its Tifa now since we're working together now. No need for such formalities." Tifa mentally kicked herself in the head. _How could I stare at him like that! It's impolite, oh; I bet he thinks I'm just like a childish teenager._

Tseng chuckled lightly. "Relax, Tifa. My apologies for not giving you my full attention when you stepped through the door. As you can see," he pointed at the stack of neatly organized papers taking up the space on his desk. "I am slightly behind with my paperwork. How may I be of help to you?"

Tifa bowed her head in embarassment. "Um…Reno said you needed to discuss something with me?"

Tseng stared at her, slowly blinking a few times."Ah, yes. I wasn't expecting you so soon. I thought they would've taken you for a more thorough tour of the complex before they sent you to me." He said as he opened a drawer in his desk. He deftly pulled out a small package and handed it over to the brunette Turk. "It's about basic protocol and duties. Also inside there," he continued to explain in detail, "Are the blueprints of the Conference building and some guidelines. However," Tseng paused for a moment, looking straight into Tifa's eyes. "I advise to you, Tifa, is that you always stay close to the President where ever he goes until he feels he is safe without you. Even then, stick close in the perimeter and don't let him out of eyesight." Tifa nodded slowly, trying to soak in all the crucial details. _So many in so little time!_ Her head started to spin.

"Meet here at 6:00 am sharp tomorrow morning. Make sure you're packed and prepared for the days ahead."

"Understood," With a small salute Tifa spun on the back of her heels and walked out of the Tseng's office. She strolled by her desk which is beside Elena's and picked up her keys then slowly made her way towards the elevator. She entered the metal box and pressed the home floor button. Once the elevator came to a stop she stepped out and briskly made her way towards the entrance. A pang of sorrow struck her heart, she had nothing left back at home but haunting memories of what she used to have. _The kids aren't living with me anymore, not until..._With a soft sigh she continued on, she couldn't let it bother her now. Tifa had a funny feeling she will need all the sleep she can afford. After all, she is the President's new bodyguard.

* * *

Let me know what you think! I like reviews because other people can see what I have missed and can help me create better fanfictions. That review button is waiting to be clicked on :D.


	2. Contemplations & Endless Paperwork

Here's my second chapter! I hope you enjoy this one :) It's like 3:40 AM in the morning here, so I apologize if it may seem jumpy. I will fix those parts when I figure out a better way of putting it together. Oh yes, this part is about Rufus...So I used the very last part of the conversation between TifaxRufus in **Cerulean Cinnamon **but I added my own flair to it. **Christie Cookie** allowed me to continue on her fan fic **The pager and the proposition**, so I didn't steal it. Anyways, the converstion that ended that chapter seemed like a good chapter starter since we're looking at how Rufus is taking it all in!

**Disclaimer: I'm just a teenager looking for a source of fun and entertainment, not to mention a challenge. That being said, NO MONEY IS BEING MADE OFF OF THIS. **

Chapter 2: Contemplations & Endless paperwork

Rufus watched the former bartender leave with the rest of the Turks. The sudden curiosity for one of his Turks irked him a little, like an itch you couldn't scratch. But the sudden change of heart in an ex-AVALANCHE member isn't a fact to overlook, considering she is now working for him. Yes, definately now that Tifa is working for him. Rufus needed to know an answer; he always got one, one way or another. Just as Tifa was about to exit the room, Rufus called her.

"Yes?" She came back over to the desk, a faint smile present on her face.

"I never did ask you why you decided to join the Turks." He sat down in his black chair, leaning back with his left leg over his right.

Tifa sighed. "It's a long story, sir. May I tell you about it sometime this weekend?"

"I look forward to it," Rufus leaned forward, placing his forearms on his desk. "I like to get well acquainted with my Turks, as I trust them with my life."

"That's understandable sir. Will that be all?" The brunette inquired.

"Yes, thank you."

As Tifa made her way to the door, Rufus softly called her name.

"Hmm?" she hummed.

Rufus wanted to ask her if her joining the Turks had anything to do with Cloud, but thought against it. _I'll get answers soon enough this coming weekend._

"I'm glad you're with us," he stated.

Tifa looked back, dark wine clashed with an icy blue. His gaze held her to the spot for a few seconds before he faintly heard her whisper a response.

"So am I."

Tifa opened the door and quietly closed it after her. _Hmm, this will be interesting with an ex-AVALANCHE member working for me. What forced Tifa to take such desperate measures?_ Rufus mused. He shook it out of his mind; he didn't need to think over such non-trivial things such as that right now. With a satisfied cluck of his tongue, he dove back into his mount of paperwork.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Words blurred together as he continued to read and sign, in what seemed to be endless amounts of paperwork. A soft knock brought him out of his trance. "Come in," Rufus called out, not looking up. Long and steady elegant footfalls made their way up to his desk, he didn't need to see the person who approached him for he already knew who it was.

"I gave her the basic protocols about the conference, but are you sure she will be sufficient, sir?" the Turk director asked.

"Tseng, I have full confidence that Tifa is quite capable of doing the job. She may be a rookie by Turk standards but she was part of AVALANCHE, making her a formidable ally and _friend_ to this company." Rufus stopped attending to his work and looked directly into the Wutian's eyes. "I have faith in her but…" he trailed off, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"What sir?" Tseng's eyebrow rose in question.

The young president swiveled around his chair and got up towards the large window, hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm interested in why someone such as Tifa would willingly join the Turks, considering our...past history. Has she mentioned any miscellaneous information to the others?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir. I can find out if you wish." Tseng offered.

"No, that's not necessary. I thank you for the offer, though." Rufus continued to stare out the large window pane before him. _All in due time _he contemplated.

"If I may sir, why are you so interested in Tifa?"

"I am curious about her sudden change of heart, _someone_ forced her to make a decision. Tifa isn't the one to rush into her _former enemies _arms, I'm intrigued with what drove her to such desperate measures." He chuckled darkly. "How becoming of me, I should be overjoyed for someone such as Tifa to join the Turks, but I need to make sure she's one-hundred percent committed. I don't need her emotions making her weak, or else she is useless to me." He narrowed his cold, icy blue eyes at his reflection.

"I see," Tseng paused. "Perhaps I suggest some rest in the mean time."

The young blonde let out a half-hearted chuckle, he turned to face the Wutian Turk.

"True that I do need the sleep but these papers don't sign themselves as much as I would like them too," with a couple well placed steps he sat in his grand chair and spun around to observe the mound before him. "I have to finish these or else Reeve won't get off my back after tomorrow's meeting. You know how he is when he doesn't get an answer."

Tseng laughed lightly. "Reeve certainly knows how to grate one's nerves."

"Hmm, I'm glad my suffering causes you pleasure, although," Rufus paused for a second. "It should be the other way around." He smirked.

A small smile crept upon the corners of Tseng's lips, he bowed slightly.

"Good night, Rufus."

"You as well, Tseng." He nodded.

With that said, the Turk silently left, leaving the young president alone. He looked at the remaining stacks of paper that needed to be read over and signed with his seal of approval. Rufus pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. _Another sleepless night_ he scowled distastefully. The blond hastily grabbed the nearest stack of papers to finish what he started earlier that evening.

A few hours of signing and re-reading the blasted sheets, he was finally finished. Rufus' exhausted gaze met the digital clocks face, the cyan numbers that read three twenty-one A.M was etched into his mind. _No rest for the wicked_ he wryly thought. He stiffly trekked his way towards the nearest couch, flung his jacket off somewhere in the room and unceremoniously laid down. Fully knowing the rest of the suit was going to be further wrinkled in the morning; Rufus didn't care at that point. Any sleep is better than none. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted away into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

That review button has your name on it, so go ahead! Click and revieeeeeeeeew! =)


	3. Unwanted Memory & Surprise Conversations

Hey hey, this is the real start of the story...I hope it's to your satisfaction! I tried my best sooo...yeah ^.^ Enjoy! I would like to thank sakR9 for pointing out that I needed to put a little something into my story! I changed it so I hope it's slightly betterrrr for ya! =) Thank you once again!

**Disclaimer: I don't own it! I wish I did...**

_Chapter 3. Unwanted Memory & Surprise conversations_

Tifa tossed and turned for the umpteenth time that night, an unwanted memory plaguing her mind.

**_*Flashback*_**

"_Denzel, Marlene, you ready to go?" Tifa asked the children._

"_Yeah…" The little girl with the braid and pink ribbon sadly replied, Denzel nodded, taking sudden interest in the floorboards. _

"_Cheer up guys," the brunette forced a smile. "I'll see you guys soon, OK?"_

_The kids looked up at her, lightly smiling. _Such sad faces…It's for the best right now_ she sadly thought. A small tug brought her out of her thoughts, she looked down, gazing into her adoptive sons eyes. Tifa kneeled down beside him, her hand lightly clasped around his._

"_What is it, Sweetie?" Tifa asked in a motherly tone._

"_I don't wanna go; I want to stay here with you and Cloud!" Denzel pleaded. _

_Tifa slowly shook her head. "Cloud and I had a disagreement honey; we're going through a rough patch right now. Barret will look after you until everything is settled." _

_Small arms enveloped her neck. "I'll miss you."_

"_I'll miss you too sweetie."_

_They pulled apart after hearing a vehicle door shut. The tinker of the bell above the bar door went off; revealing a big, burly black man with a robotic right arm. Marlene's eyes lit up with excitement._

"_Daddy!" she yelled, running to him with arms extended._

"_Well if it ain't mah little girl!" he picked his daughter up and playfully rubbed his beard against her cheeks._

"_Ouch daddy, those hurt!" Marlene squealed._

_Barret erupted into a hearty laughter. _

"_You've grown so much bigger since I've last seen ya baby, what is Tifa feeding you?" Marlene giggled and nuzzled her father's neck. _

_The large man spied the younger boy seeking shelter behind the barmaid. _

"_Been keepin' mah little girl outta trouble?" Barret sternly asked the boy. Denzel hastily nodded in agreement._

"_That's mah boy! Come 'ere squirt!" Marlene coaxed him over with frantic waving hands. Denzel burst into laughter, running towards the large man. Barret kneeled down, giving him a large welcoming hug. He put Marlene down beside Denzel._

"_You guys go get yur bags 'n' meet me in the truck. Tifa 'n' I would like to talk fer a minute."_

_The children smiled widely, running upstairs in a competition of who can finish first to the truck. Barret tore his eyes away from the stairs, his gaze landed upon Tifa, her face displaying melancholy._

"_You gunna be alright 'Teef?" The barmaid turned her head at hearing her name. Barret was asking her a question._

"_What? Oh, yes…I'm just sad to see them go, I'm sorry I had to call you to look after them." Tifa tilted her head down in shame._

"_Hey, 'Teef…" Barret put his organic hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Don't blame yourself, ok? You gotta do what you gotta do, eh?" _

_Tifa numbly nodded._

"_But I gotta ask you though, are you sure you wanna work for that arrogant asshole, Shinra?"_

"_Money is tight right now, Barret…I know for sure that Rufus CAN'T turn me down," Tifa playfully smirked. "Besides…I want a life away from Cloud."_

_Tifa's fists curled up, tears swelled behind her eyes. Tangy copper filled her mouth; not realizing she bit down with such force to keep said tears behind locked bars. _

"_I want to start new again, without these chains binding me here. I've…waiting for so long for him to notice me, but my chance has come and gone a long time ago. No more sitting around…" Tifa whispered._

_Barret pulled her into a comforting embrace, squeezing her tightly. "Alrigh' hun, if anyone causes you grief 'specially that bastard Rufus OR Cloud, call me 'n' I'll be there faster than ya can say 'Chocobo'."_

_Tifa smiled warmly. "Ok, you've got yourself a deal."_

"_Good," he flashed a toothy grin in return._

_Soon as Barret finished the kids ran out the door screaming like banshees. Outside, Marlene started to complain that Denzel cheated._

"_Guess that's mah cue to head out." He slowly backed away from the brunette. "You take care 'Teef, I mean it." With a wave he headed out._

_Tifa moved towards the entrance and started waving her goodbyes to the kids…_

**_*End flashback*_**

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Tifa rolled onto her side, facing away from the deafening alarm clock, a pillow folded over her ears. _Stupid memory… _she mentally growled.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

She groggily opened her eyes and moaned. "Sweet Shiva, how do they manage this everyday?" _Well, with the exception of Reno of course…Or so I hear _Tifa reluctantly faced the offending object, glaring at it with pure resentment. She had an intuition that the box will someday become acquainted with her fist, literally.

Pulling off the covers, she shivered at the cool brisk air kissing her skin. Ignoring the notion to wrap herself back in a blanket cocoon, she swung her legs over the edge and turned off the alarm. The former barmaid stumbled towards the bathroom, turning on both the bedroom and bathroom lights. Tifa yawned as she examined herself in the mirror, dark rings formed beneath her eyes; they made themselves painstakingly present for the world to see. _I look like I should belong with the undead_ Tifa groaned. She turned on the sink faucet and began to do her business.

Tifa exited the bathroom, got on her knees and aimlessly reached around beneath the bed. _I swore I put it somewhere…Aha! There it is _She pulled out her suitcase, placed it on her bed and opened it up. She walked towards her oak wardrobe, pulling out a few suits and other belongings she might need. The brunette neatly folded up her suits and placed them in the suitcase, along with a few elixirs' she saved, one mastered cure materia and one mastered added effect and lightning materia. She closed the suitcase and proceeded to put on her own suit for the day. She travelled back into the bathroom to examine her visage once again. _Life certainly is twisted…but it's a fresh start._ Tifa adjusted her tie to a cozier position. Pleased with her appearance, she slipped on her Premium heart, grabbed her keys and suitcase. She went down the stairs and slowly made her way to the exit. _I wonder how Marlene and Denzel are doing...I'll have to phone Barret later _The brunette softly smiled.

Taking a deep breath she exited the former bar and began her hike to the Shin-Ra complex. _Today's the big day, I'm Rufus' bodyguard _Tifa beamed.

* * *

Rufus awoke to a rude shrilling alarm on his phone, his limbs hanging haphazardly on the couch. "Insistent noise" He grumbled. Rufus rose from his make-shift bed, his limbs protested the movement after being molded to the couch. Paying no heed to his body needs, he followed the noise to where he threw his jacket, upon picking it up; he reached for the phone inside one of his many pockets and turned off the alarm. He threw his jacket back down the ground, pinching the bridge of his nose; in dire need of a coffee.

The president trudged to the elevator and pressed the forty-eighth floor. A soft ping announced his arrival, stepping out; he immediately headed to the Turks lobby. The coffee pot stood out, like a fire attracting a moth, Rufus made his way over and started up a brew. The rich aroma of coffee filled the room, the president inhaled slowly, savoring the bittersweet sin. He pulled a mug from the rack, slowly pouring the black liquid into his cup; he sat down in the nearest chair and took a sip. _Hmmm, I'm curious if Tifa is willing to keep up her end of the bargain _Rufus mused. _Well, we'll see if her word is trusted…_he cradled his cup of coffee. He didn't notice a figure standing behind him until it cleared its voice.

He slightly turned his head to see the intruder, it was Tifa.

* * *

The brunette arrived at her designated floor; she made a quick stop at her desk and headed towards the Turks personal lobby. By Ramuh's name she was getting some damn coffee if she is to survive the day.

As Tifa entered the lobby, the strong smell of coffee wafted in the air, she looked around and was met with a surprise. Rufus sat at the table, his back to her cradling a cup of coffee like a lifeline. Tifa cleared her throat.

"Good morning, President Rufus."

Rufus turned his head slightly, nodding in acknowledgement. Tifa headed straight to the coffee pot and poured herself some of the bitter tasting sin, adding cream and sugar to the mix. She brought her gaze up from the brown liquid and examined Rufus. _Gaia, he looks more sleep deprived than me_ she thought, sipping her coffee. Dark rings marred his face, his sandy blond hair lay in total chaos and his suit was wrinkled beyond belief.

"It appears like you travelled to the life stream and back again. I take it you didn't sleep very well, sir?" Tifa mentally slapped herself. _Me and my big mouth! This is a one way ticket to get reprimanded _

Rufus gruffly replied. "As president I can't indulge in such a thing, there are more important priorities than sleep." He raised his mug to his lips, lightly sipping the liquid. Tifa frowned at this piece of information.

"If I may, sir-"

"Rufus," he cut in.

"What?" Tifa blinked at the man in confusion.

"Just call me Rufus." He flashed Tifa his trademark smirk.

"Understood, Rufus," she echoed. "As I was saying, you work yourself past your limits. If you keep it up like this you're only going to continue hurting your well being." _Wow, how much weirder can it get? Wait, I'm working for Rufus Shinra. I'm sure it can get A LOT more twisted than this _Tifa reminded herself. The young president glanced at her form the corner of his crystal blue eye, a small playful grin planted upon his lips.

"I can get used to this amusing, twisted fate of events, Lockheart."

Tifa returned the gesture. "So can I, Shinra."

Rufus' eyes flickered with brief amusement, a rumble of a hum in agreement. They both fell into a comfortable silence, only the sipping of coffee echoed within the room. Tifa polished off her coffee, gently placing it in the sink. She snuck a quick glance at her cell phone, reading five forty-five A.M. _Oh, I have to meet Tseng in his office._

"Rufus sir, um…the departure to Junon is shortly; I'll go talk to Tseng and take it from there."

Rufus wordlessly got up and placed his empty mug beside Tifa's, she looked up at him. _He stands a good head and a half taller than me…he's kind of handsome too. Wait, did I just call my boss handsome? _Tifa mentally groaned. _No way! NO WAY! _A cool cut voice awakened her from her thoughts, his warm breath faintly kissing the shell of her ear. Tifa shivered from the butterfly touch.

"As much as you like staring at me because I'm handsome, Turk, but we both have priorities to sort out at the moment." he whispered, pulling back he casually grinned; silently pleased with himself. Tifa blushed at the close encounter; she bowed her head and grumbled.

"Arrogant prick…"

Rufus let out quiet, amused chuckle as he briskly walked to the elevator, Tifa followed closely behind him. Approaching the elevator, the slick silver doors opened up, revealing the stoic Turk director.

"Rufus sir," He nodded. Tseng tilted his head slightly to the left, catching a glimpse of Tifa standing behind the president.

"You're here early, Tifa."

"I just wanted to make sure I was on time sir." Tifa said shyly, Rufus shook his head slightly. He snuck around Tseng, entering the elevator.

"I expect both of you on the rooftop in ten minutes, no excuses." As the doors closed shut he flashed a quick smirk in Tifa's direction. Tifa sighed, a soft blush covering her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Tseng asked.

"Yeah, just a little bit nervous."

"The conference has tight security; there should be no issue." The Wutian Turk reassured her.

"Right…Anyways, time is a wasting. Is there any last minute details you wish to discuss with me, sir?" Tifa wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything, last thing she needed on her mind is something embarrassing.

"No, just stick close to the president and it will all go as planned. Grab your belongings and make haste to the rooftop." Tifa did as she was told, trailing after Tseng.

They reached the helicopter; she put her belongings in the back, she noticed there was no pilot. She shrugged, guessing it was because he is having a cigarette somewhere. Rufus appeared shortly after, his luggage joining hers. She noted that his messy appearance was replaced with his casual attire. His hair was slicked back, making his eyes appear icier and more dominating. His suit was no longer riddled with wrinkles, it was perfect, immaculate; Rufus' entire aura oozed authority.

"Be careful sir." Tseng said, directly looking at him.

"I will be, I have Tifa at my side," Tifa blushed lightly at the notion. _Gaia, everytime Rufus says my name I start blushing like a school girl__…_

"Remember the protocol Tifa, and you will do just fine."

"Yes sir!" she saluted.

"Good luck," Tseng nodded, he started to leave when he heard Tifa.

"Wait, who's the pilot then?" she looked confused.

"I believe you are, Tifa." Rufus pointed out.

"WHAT!" she shrieked. "I don't even know how to fly one of those things! I'll get us killed!"

"Surprise," Rufus grinned. "You're in for a crash course. Now close the doors and make yourself useful in the cockpit." He demanded.

"Yes sir" Tifa couldn't disobey her boss, she definately did not want to find out the hardway if she did.

Tseng looked over at Rufus, a sly grin gracing his lips. " Trying to chase her away already, sir?"

"Learning how to fly a helicopter is mandatory. Don't worry; I'll point her in the right direction." He teased, walking away. Tseng shook his head, feeling sorry for the poor woman.

Rufus joined her in the passenger side; she was geared up and secured. "Good so far," he noted "Now, those dials and gauges are for altitude, gas, oil and those ones there," Rufus pointed above her. "Start up the helicopter, those are the most important to you right now. The other controls you don't need to know just yet…" he continued. "That stick in the middle is your movement control, I'm sure you know how to use it." Rufus qipped. He leaned over, his warm breath faintly tickling the shell of her ear and put his hand over Tifa's. She recoiled at the touch, it was like she felf a jolt of electricity flowing through her nerves. "Relax Tifa, I won't bite," he huskily whispered. "Unless asked."

"Right…" Tifa shakily replied.

After a couple minutes of explaining, Tifa still wasn't grasping the information as fast as he would like. "Hmm, this won't do. Let's attempt this approach instead." Before Tifa could object; Rufus undid her buckles and placed her on his lap. Tifa's eyes widened with shock, a maddening blush blossoming on her face. She squirmed restlessly until firm arms held her completely still, Rufus' deep voice echoing within the walls her ears. "Don't make this more difficult than it has to be, I'm just simply instructing you how to fly a helicopter in the simplest way possible. Instead of showing you as I intended, I'm going to guide you." He insisted. The brunette Turk nodded, taking a deep breath in as she shadowed his movements.

_Oh Aerith, if you're out there right now, protect me along the way_ Tifa prayed as the helicopter purred to life. _It's going to be one long trip to Junon. _

* * *

Yup, thats right...Rufus is a cold-hearted, arrogant bastard! He's making Tifa fly a helicopter...on his lap! May Aerith be with her. Review plz =)


End file.
